1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a drum washing machine, a door of which is opened by force of a predetermined magnitude or greater.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a drum washing machine washes laundry received in a rotating tub as the laundry repeatedly rises and falls due to rotation of the rotating tub. Such a drum washing machine includes a body having a door to be opened or closed, a washtub fixedly installed in the body, a rotating tub rotatably installed in the washtub, and water supply/drain devices.
The body is formed in a front surface thereof with a laundry input opening, to allow a user to put laundry into the rotating tub. The door is pivotally coupled to the front surface of the body, to open or close the laundry input opening.
A door lock device is coupled to both an inner surface of the door and the body and locks the door to the body. The door lock device includes a door lever coupled to the door and configured to be caught by a door switch of the body. When the door is pivoted to the laundry input opening, the door lever is caught by the door switch, allowing the door to come into close contact with the front surface of the body while closing the laundry input opening.
Over time, the size of the drum washing machines has increased, to wash a greater amount of laundry at once. That is, the rotating tub, in which laundry is received, has been manufactured to a greater size.
However, the rotating tub of the greater size may often cause an accident when the door is unexpectedly closed after a child enters the rotating tub. For this reason, it may be necessary to provide a washing machine designed to allow a child to escape by himself by opening a door from the inside.